


Palate

by quietaria



Category: Stella Glow
Genre: (lots and lots of desserts to be precise), Fluff, Food, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 13:49:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21393217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietaria/pseuds/quietaria
Summary: There's only one secret he's been keeping from Xeno.
Relationships: Elcrest/Klaus | Xeno
Kudos: 7





	Palate

"You have very ascetic tastes," Francisca had remarked one day, after watching Elcrest down a dry biscuit with nothing but plain water, content to call it a meal.

Wiping the crumbs off the corner of his mouth with a napkin, he had only shrugged. "As long as it fills me up, I don't really think too much about what I'm eating."

Francisca smiled, amused, and then picked up a butter knife to spread jam on her own biscuit. "I'd like to test the limitations of that claim, some time," she quipped.

Elcrest raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

She giggled, taking a small bite of her biscuit. "Oh, speaking of food, I heard that Kaede, Millie, and Xeno are going to visit a sweet shop today."

"Ah, yeah. Xeno mentioned it yesterday. I think he was half-suggesting that I tag along, you know, in his Xeno way."

"'Elcrest, my friend. I have stumbled upon a gem of a confectionery store, and were it not for your Conductor duties, I would surely have appreciated your company, but alas,'" Francisca said, lowering her voice to a gravelly pitch in an impressively accurate imitation of Xeno. "Like that?"

"Yeah," Elcrest said, unable to keep himself from smiling. "It's funny, because he's the one who's really busy, being the king and all- I don't have to think nearly as hard as he does, or pore over treaties and documents, or write inspiring speeches, or- Well, you get the point." He glanced downwards at his sword in its scabbard never far from his reach. "All I have to do is fight."

"And, oh, you know, dive into the psyches of young women who have been consumed by negative emotions and try to talk sense into them," she corrected. "Both of your duties are vital. But we're lucky enough to get a small break; Veronica did say she would be a while with her research still. So, why not take him up on his offer?"

Vacantly, Elcrest allowed himself to imagine an endless buffet table of sweets, and his teeth began to ache.

Francisca took one glance at his expression and smiled. "Ascetic tastes," she repeated.

Elcrest had no response.

\---

His teeth would regret this, he thought leaning against a pillar right outside of Xeno's quarters. His teeth would _hate _him for this, but-

"Elc!" Xeno's head popped out of his doorway, looking so absurdly pleased to see him that Elcrest's concerns were pushed rapidly out of his mind.

"Good morning, Xeno," he greeted. "About the dessert place you mentioned yesterday."

"Why, I'm meeting up with Kaede and Millicent right now so that we may all head over there together." He paused. "Could it be that you're interested in joining us?" he asked, his voice practically brimming with hope.

Elcrest nodded. "If you're willing to have me."

"Of course!" Xeno exclaimed, elated. "It would be an absolute pleasure to have you along. I don't believe you have ever come with us on one of our- oh, Kaede called it this once, and the name stuck- sweet sightings! I understand how busy you are, naturally-"

Elcrest shook his head to stop Xeno, a little guiltily. "As are you, my friend. I'm honored to join you all. Shall we?" He gestured in the direction of the exit.

"Indeed," Xeno nodded. "It would be poor form to be late. And even poorer form to miss out on the bounty that lies ahead of us!" He added brightly.

Elcrest only smiled in response and ignored the return of the ache in his jaw.

\---

"Elc!" Kaede blinked. "Are you coming with us?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not," Millicent interjected. "But, actually, Elc, I thought you didn't much-"

"Oh, look at the time," Elcrest interrupted hastily. "I do believe the sun is almost overhead. We don't want to lose to the lunch rush, now do we?"

"... Right," Kaede said, slightly suspiciously. "Let's go. It's pretty close to that one clock repair shop, right, Xeno?" 

He nodded and began to lead the way, chatting with Kaede about which items they wanted to sample.

"Elc," Millie whispered, hanging back. "I thought you didn't like sweets. You said as much every time I tried to offer you one of my baked goods."

"I wouldn't say that I don't like them," he replied, equally as quiet. "They just make my teeth hurt."

"That's basically the same thing! Why-"

"I just thought it'd be a nice change of pace," he whispered firmly. "In fact, maybe I'll change my mind about them today, if the sweets are as good as Xeno makes them out to be."

Millicent gave him a very skeptical look, but didn't press any further.

"I think you should try the millefeuille," she said after a pause, back at her normal volume. "I heard that theirs is _especially_ sweet."

"Are you just suggesting it because its name sounds like yours?" Elcrest frowned.

"Oh, hush."

"This is the place!" Kaede stood with her hand on the door handle in front of an unassuming storefront, the only indication of its sugary contents the hand painted cupcake sign hanging over their heads. She swung open the door and took an eager step in. Elcrest waited for Xeno and Millicent to enter before following suit.

He noticed the smell, first- rich chocolate intermingled with melted sugar, and just a hint of fruit wafting through the air. Kaede and Xeno both breathed in dreamily and began to look around the shop. To Elcrest, the scent was more cloying than pleasant, and he tried his hardest to avoid wrenching his nose. Millie stopped to peruse a flyer near the entrance detailing their monthly specials, so Elcrest let himself wander aimlessly between the rows of desserts on display.

The sweets were all hidden behind glass display cases, accessible only through the small doors on each case that were just large enough to fit the tongs resting on metal racks next to them. 

"Those are the premade ones," Kaede remarked, suddenly popping up on his left, and he jumped. "But they'll actually make them to order if you're dining in!" She pointed over at a cafe area tucked further into the store that Elcrest had yet to notice. There were already people seated at the round tables, though none of them were saying a word. On closer inspection, it was because they were all too busy chewing to talk.

"That must be some good dessert," Elcrest said, impressed. "It's like they're all in a trance."

Kaede nodded enthusiastically. "It's supposed to be amazing. I can't wait to try it. I think I'm going to get the chocolate lava cake. What about you?"

_What's the least sweet thing they have?_ Elcrest almost asked, but didn't since he knew Kaede (and Xeno) would consider it heresy. "What about the, uh... crepes?" "Classic," Kaede affirmed. "The dusting of confectioners sugar all over it looks really good." Elcrest winced, but she thankfully didn't notice. "Xeno," she called, waving at him. "What are you going to get?"

"I can't decide between the swiss roll and the millefeuille," he admitted, walking up to them.

"I heard the millefeuille is _very sweet_," Elcrest said dryly, glancing in Millicent's direction.

"Is it?" Unlike him, Xeno looked heartened at the thought. "Perhaps I shall try that, then."

"Oh, have you all decided already?" Millicent said, rejoining them. "They have a special on the fruit tart this month- strawberries are in season. I'll have that."

"Great, let's order!" Kaede grinned. "Xeno and I can do the ordering. Can you two find us a table?"

Elcrest and Millicent both nodded.

"Window view's fine, right?" Elcrest asked, resting his hand on the chair.

"Yes," Millicent agreed. "This is a rather lovely place, don't you think?"

"It is nice," he conceded. "I can see that business is booming, but the accommodations are pretty nice, too." He watched as pedestrians outside the store occasionally glanced in to peek at the delicacies being created and consumed on the other side of the glass. Every once in a while, the front door would swing open to welcome more patrons. "How'd you all hear about this place, anyways?"

"The king has many ears," Millicent said cryptically, then laughed. "Oh, you know how Xeno is. His advisors never leave him alone, so I'm sure he just makes them tell him actually useful things every once in a while."

"Well, you're not wrong about that." Elcrest chuckled, imagining Xeno in a fancy ballroom surrounded by Regnant's finest and richest, casually diverting the conversation to be about sweets. "I think he's too responsible to talk about desserts unless the conversation is _really _killing him, though."

"Sorry to make you wait," Xeno said, pulling up a chair next to Elcrest. "They'll have our orders out shortly."

"Thanks," Elcrest said, and Millie hummed her agreement.

"I'm so hungry," Kaede mumbled, clutching her stomach. "I skipped breakfast for this, you know?"

"Actually, so did I," Xeno admitted, sheepishly.

Millicent shook her head at the both of them. "Dessert isn't exactly what I would call a wholesome meal. Besides, I think you two will still be hungry. It doesn't seem like their portions are larger than average."

"Oh, don't worry, we're definitely going to order more," Kaede said seriously. "I really want to try the flan."

"And I think I will be having the swiss roll after all, once I finish the millefeuille," Xeno added.

Millie sighed. "You might end up having to finish Elc's for him, too."

Elcrest shot her an annoyed glance.

"No, the crepe shouldn't be so large that Elc would be unable to finish it by himself," Xeno said, confused.

"Well," Elcrest coughed. "I did have a rather, uh, hearty breakfast this morning, so-" "Don't you usually just eat water and biscuits?" Kaede asked blankly.

"It was a hearty biscuit," he frowned.

"Elc..." Xeno looked deeply concerned for a moment, most likely under the impression that Elcrest was too busy to even have a proper meal, and Elcrest cleared his throat quickly.

"Actually, I heard from, er, Veronica, that breakfast should actually be lighter than what one would normally think. Something about- erm, lethargy from overeating in the mornings." Millicent raised an eyebrow at him signaling _you clearly pulled that out from who knows where_, but Elcrest continued. "In fact, she even mentioned that, ahem, intermittent fasting can be beneficial to one's health. So I don't think you have to worry too much about missing breakfast," he concluded, folding his hands over the table.

"Oh, how fascinating," Xeno said, stroking his chin, just as a waiter stopped at their table with a tray and began to set each of their portions down. "Thank you," he said warmly, and the waiter lowered his head respectfully before leaving with the empty tray. "This looks wonderful."

"Let's dig in!" Kaede announced, and took a fork to her lava cake without waiting for a response. "Woah, look at that," she mumbled, lowering herself with her hands on the table until the lava cake was at eye level, watching the filling ooze out. "It really does remind me of the lava from Gohra Volcano!"

"I thought you said you were hungry," Millicent reminded her.

"Oh, that's right!" Without further ado, she scooped up a big bite onto her fork and placed it eagerly in her mouth. "It's sho good," she murmured, wobbling.

Beside her, Xeno had cut into the millefeuille and taken a bite, and was nodding with the same dazed expression on his face.

"Wow," Millie remarked. "Is it really that good?" She took a small bite of her tart. "Ah," she mumbled, and began to sway.

Alarmed by the reactions of his companions, Elcrest stared down at his crepe and took a deep breath. He cut the smallest conceivable piece he could and put it into his mouth.

It was- he twitched. _Really, ludicrously, outrageously_ sweet. The confectioners sugar melted and coated his tongue, followed up with the inherent flavor of the crepe, like some terrifying tidal wave of sweetness.

Yet, even through the haze of sugar, Elcrest suspected that if Xeno had ordered the crepe, he would have said it tasted just right.

Coughing despite his attempts to keep composure, Elcrest weakly smiled and nodded as if the dessert was to die for- which, technically, was not a lie, because he certainly felt like he was about to perish- and surreptitiously reached for his glass of water to wash it all down.

Steeling himself before taking a second bite, he glanced around the table. The others were all still lost in their sugar-induced delirium, chewing away without any other care in the world. _Maybe they wouldn't notice if I were to deposit this crepe in the nearest potted plant_, he thought desperately, and then mentally smacked himself in the forehead at how ludicrous it was for the Conductor to be felled by one measly crepe. Exhaling, he cut himself another sliver and submitted himself to its sweetness.

"My goodness," Xeno said, after demolishing his millefeuille. "That was absolutely delicious."

"I knooow," Kaede mumbled, her forehead resting on the table. "That was the _best lava cake I ever had._"

Millie leaned backwards in her chair. "They certainly weren't joking when they said that the desserts here were good."

"Good? _Good?_" Kaede repeated incredulously. "Good is an insult! This place deserves to formally recognized as one of the best sweet shops in all of Regnant!"

"I wonder if there might be something I can do about that," Xeno murmured, idly lifting his fork between his fingers. "Or perhaps I could arrange for them to cater solely to the castle."

"I... think that might be considered an abuse of royal authority, Xeno," Millicent coughed.

"Hey, Elc, you're still not done with your crepe?" Kaede said abruptly, cocking her head at the half-finished portion left on his plate.

Millicent gave him a _I told you so_ look, to which he returned with the quickest of frowns. "Sorry, my stomach is pretty full from breakfast, after all."

"Are you on some kind of diet?" Kaede asked doubtfully. "I've seen you eat three steaks in one sitting before, you know."

"Elc, are you feeling alright?" Xeno was gazing at him with concern, his expression so reminiscent of that of a forlorn puppy that Elcrest cleared his throat immediately.

"I am feeling quite well, Xeno. Please don't worry about me."

"Was it not to your liking, then?" Xeno asked, unconvinced.

Elcrest tensed up. Lying bald-facedly to his dearest friend was more than he could pull off, and certainly not without crushing guilt, so he sighed both in defeat and relief at the end of his charade.

"Truthfully, I... don't like sweets very much," he admitted.

Silence fell over the table. Millicent massaged her temples in exasperation, while the other two gaped at him.

"You- You don't like sweets? How could you not like sweets?!" Kaede demanded, horrified.

"Y-You don't like sweets? I... I never knew that," Xeno said, equally horrified.

"Have either of you ever seen Elcrest eat anything other than bread and meat?" Millie sighed, her head in her hands.

"I eat vegetables, too," Elcrest frowned.

"You eat vegetables when Fran piles them on your plate for you, you mean," she said tiredly. "Completely devoid of any seasoning, at that."

He opened his mouth to argue, before deciding that it was a losing battle, especially since he already had two distraught friends to console.

"I'm sorry I didn't mention anything about it before," he began. They looked back at him despondently. "But I assure you, I genuinely did wish to come along with you all. I suppose it was out of curiosity." That wasn't,strictly speaking, the truth, but it was close enough- the real reason sat across from him and was currently looking even more like a kicked puppy, if that were even possible.

Said royal puppy stared mournfully down at his unfinished crepe, then back at him. "Elc, if you had just said something, we could have gone to an, erm, steakhouse instead."

"What?!" Kaede asked, appalled.

"No, no! That isn't necessary. Like I said, I just wanted to tag along with you all for once. To... see what it was all about."

"Well, we certainly appreciate your company, make no mistake of that," Xeno began. "But we never wanted to force you into doing something you didn't enjoy."

Elcrest took a deep breath. "But I did enjoy it- perhaps not so much the... eating of sweets, but being with all of you _is_ enjoyable to me."

"Are you _sure_?" Kaede asked, her frown just a little bit guilty.

"Of course," he affirmed, and Kaede and Xeno seemed to settle down. "Though, if I could ask you both a favor," he continued.

"Anything at all," Xeno said immediately. "What is it?"

"Could you finish this crepe for me?" Elcrest asked sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, while Millicent smacked her own forehead. Kaede and Xeno glanced at each other, back at the crepe, then simultaneously took their forks back in hand and went to work.

"Did I not tell you that this would happen?" She crossed her arms.

"Have some of my crepe, Millie," Elcrest said blandly. "It's on me. But you better hurry before they finish it all."

\---

Afterwards, with the door jangling shut behind them, Xeno let the girls go on ahead, who, to Elcrest's astonishment, were somehow chatting about what they wanted to eat for _that night's_ dessert, and hung behind to speak privately with Elcrest.

"I still feel a bit guilty for not realizing your distaste of sweets, Elc," Xeno said under his breath.

"Don't be, Xeno." Elcrest replied. "I was the one keeping it from you, after all."

"About that... why exactly _did_ you keep it from us? It isn't as though disliking sweets is a sign of weakness."

"I just didn't want you to know," he answered slowly. "Perhaps because you enjoy them so much, and I didn't want to be a spoilsport. Childish of me, I know."

"Childish?" Xeno repeated. "No, that's quite considerate of you, Elc. But please know that I prioritize your comfort over my hobbies- if one can call voraciously eating sweets a hobby," he added, somewhat embarrassedly.

"Well, if we're going to talk about priorities, then-" Elcrest cut himself off, aware that he was dangerously close to saying too much.

"Yes?" Xeno looked expectantly at him.

Clearing his throat, and feeling the heat start to move up his neck, he stared firmly ahead before uttering his next words. "I prioritized being able to spend more time with you over my tastebuds, is all."

"Ah," Xeno croaked. "I see." Elcrest didn't need to turn his head to know that Xeno was turning precisely the same shade of red that he himself had become.

"So, I do hope that you will invite me again next time, Xeno."

"... Yes. Yes, of course." Xeno said, matching his pace perfectly. "Though, next time, I'd like to find a place that serves items other than desserts. For your sake."

"I'm satisfied enough just watching you eat, my friend," Elcrest laughed quietly. "But thank you. That sounds quite nice."

"And perhaps... perhaps we could... go somewhere... just the two of us." Elcrest was quite certain that Xeno was also looking directly ahead, just like him.

"That... that sounds... even nicer," he managed.

"Wonderful," Xeno said. "I look forward to it."

Elcrest allowed himself to glance at Xeno's face. The other man caught his eye and smiled reflexively, to which Elcrest couldn't help but return. "As do I, Xeno," he said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "As do I."


End file.
